A empty void left to be filled
by Reinreith
Summary: Her heart is lost, confusion enters in its place, and he has no idea what she feels, yurita love story
1. Chapter 1

**A Empty Void Left to be Filled**

**Rein: Welp, my first story on this site XD**

**Still got to get use to the set up...ANYWHO moving on**

**Depression hit me, so i threw this together to try to cheer myself up/get my mind off it, it kinda worked?**

**I like this pairing, wish you could do the whole Symphonia couples thing in this game, would have been fun.**

**You don't get to hear Yuri much, which sucks, i think i would do better with his voice than with Rita's, me personally going through a rebellious stage a few years back with a personality kinda like his XD**

**And now, the actual story! Have fun.**

**(I dont own the Tales series or tales of Vesperia)  
**

She had just woken up, the night still not quite gone, but the morning sun breaking through the clouds, it was early, too early for any of her companions to be awake, she laid there on her mat, thinking of nothing in particular, just trying to remember the dream she had last night, it was vivid during her sleep, but it escape her as the bliss of dreams faded.

Deciding she had enough time before everyone else woke up, she wandered off near the river, to soak and try to clean herself, the party just having now escaped the marsh they got lost in, the old man spinning tales of treasure and stupidity, all they found was mud, trees, monsters, mud, bushes, mud and trash.

She shook her head lazily to clear her thoughts, looking around real quick before she left the camp to see if anybody else was awake, by any small chance, but to her it seemed highly illogical anybody would be…but then again, he defied all logic, and sure enough, his bed mat was empty.

She grunted at this before stomping off, Yuri wasn't the type to do the same old thing day in and day out, he probably woke up early every now and again, but still, the idiotic boy of a man shouldn't be up this early, he ended up fighting the most out of the group while in the marsh, being the only one besides the dog to be able to keep his footing in all the decaying ground that sunk below their feet, he was visibly tired last night, anybody could see past the stupid tough guy act he had, and he passed out before anybody else too.

If that idiot was going to end up fainting out on their travels today, that's all on him then, she isn't going to play mommy and hold his hand and lead him to all the answers that she had due to her intelligence being the superior of the group.

But she has to admit; in the morning….she was as groggy as anybody else and sometimes, very rarely, stated something that made little sense, even to herself. Getting ready for the well-deserved bath she broke through the bushes that lead to the river, and her eyes rested on the missing person, Yuri Lowell.

He was sitting in the shallow part of the river, waist deep, his back facing her, his head turned ever so slightly so she could see his face, most of his clothes drying on a rock to his left, only wearing some extra shorts he carried around if his main attire ever had to be washed, eyes closed, lost in thought, his face in a relaxed state, frowning slightly, pondering his thoughts, the water shining off his drying back, his arms dipping into the water, fists resting on his legs, long dark hair shining in the sun, falling naturally across his back and shoulders, but leaving more than enough skin to be shown.

She stopped dead in her tracks, staring, her mind a blank as she took it all in. Blood rushing through her body, she stumbled back, creating more noise than she ever wanted in the situation, half running, half falling through the bushes she had just came through, the mud still caked on her legs and arms, she looked back to see if he had noticed her, but all she saw was green plants.

As she approached the camp, she tried to get a hold of herself, slowing her run down to a brisk walk, mind running on all cylinders, thinking of what she just witnessed, why she just stood there gawking for a good minute, then trying to get away as if he was the scariest thing he ever saw.

'He isn't,' she thought to herself, and she knew she was right, but why does that image that is now burned into her mind causing so much grief in her heart?

As she entered the camp she was greeted by the newly awakened party,

"Morning Rita!" screamed the ever energetic Karol, always a bother and never a help to Rita, sure he had some uses to the group, but she didn't care.

"Oh, Rita! I was worried sick, both you and Yuri disappeared before anybody got up, we thought something had happened!" The pink noble had just ran up and grasped for the mages hands, as childish as usual.

"Nah, were fine, I woke up and Yuri was gone already, but I went to take a small dip and he was there. Looks like he was thinking about something, probably won't be back for a while." She tried to play it cool and keep a smug grin on her face, but it just felt off to her, and then it hit her what she just said, knowing she was going to regret it. And sure enough…

"Oh? But than why are ya clothes so muddy? Couldn take the heat an ran away, instead of stayin and let your womanly desires take over?" The old coot had the dopiest grin on his face, obviously pleased with his attack.

"WHY YOU!" And the fireball hit him smack in the middle of the face, heat cracking a bit of the mud that had dried on.

"I will let you know it happens to be very frowned on for a man and a woman to bathe together if they are not a couple, especially when the man is nearly 7 years older than the woman."

The pervert must have been able to hear all that even though his head was ignited, because right after he got the last of the flame out he had to make a comeback,

"Well why didnja just snuggle next to him, lay your head on his bare chest real soft like, confess to him, watch his face go soft, and let him wrap his strong manly arms around you as you let him undress ya and wash your bare body off while not a single word escapes either of your lips?"

And a low blow fireball shuts Raven up real nice.

"Who confess to wha now?" Great, the problem in question just walked in.

Judith, who Rita always pegged as the sly crafty type, was the one to answer, 'anybody but the old man would have been better' she told herself in her own mind, as her face went red as she buried it into a book.

"Oh, Rita was just telling us how she went to take a dip and saw you half naked in the river, and we were just curious why nothing happened between you and her, after all, knowing you, I bet you would have flirted with her just to make her heart skip ten beats."

She said this so sweetly with that innocentlittleme smile she had, but her eyes seem to smile their own twisted dark way. And to top it all off she couldn't help herself and had to hold her body a way that made parts of her….look bigger….as if to imply if she was there something WOULD have happen. Yuri just stared with a half dumb half idontcare look he seemed to have perfected from a young age.

"I didn't notice Rita in the first place; I was just trying to rest my eyes for a bit since I couldn't sleep that well last night. Even if I had noticed her I doubt I would have teased her. There's a limit to what I am willing to do, and I'm not the old man, I want to live to see my 60's."

She gave a small sigh of relief, after Yuri's statement everybody had drop the topic quite fast. Within an hour everybody seemed to have moved on, once food was made, everybody ate, and the day rolled on, it went quite slow, till Estelle had to mention the mud on everybody.

"Well why don't we head off to the river like Yuri and Rita did? I don't know about you, but I can't stand being covered in mud like this, till I left the castle the closest thing to mud I saw was when the gardeners watered the plants, and even then the soil didn't really become mud."

The poor noble had of course gone into one of her long winded rants, which Rita didn't mind usually, but of mud of all things, not to mention the older teen reminded her of the river and the image of Yuri she had tried to tuck away into the back of her mind.

And she reminded everybody else too, it seemed like everybody but Yuri had a say, even Estelle mentioned how much Rita seemed flustered by it, in the end she screamed at everybody to shut up and threatened to burn them all and dry up the river, and with that everybody did as she said.

Of course Rita wasn't done there, she took one of her books and sat at the complete opposite side of the camp from Yuri at all times, giving him death glares, which when their eyes did meet, he just gave her that stupid smile and shrugged it off, like it was no big deal.

Of course that image crept to her mind every time she even glanced his way, and she could barely do any reading at the rate it was going. The way he sat, the water covering him, his hair flowing down his back.

'I wouldn't mind seeing that again.' The voice came out of nowhere, and at first Rita thought that someone had come up and started talking to her, then she realized it was her own voice, she had started whispering to herself!

What shocked her the most wasn't that she was talking to herself, she did that every now and again just out of habit of hearing her voice, but it was what she was saying that scared her the most! She heard the words hansom, silky, and cute, three words she had barely, if ever, said in her entire life.

They seemed to come out on their own, but she shut herself right up, but the damage was already done, she had turned bright red, and she felt it too.

She was just glad Raven or Judith wasn't around to hear it, instead everybody was off doing their own banter, Estelle and Judith went bathing, and the boys went to sneak a peek, probably just going to get a spear through the ribs though, knowing Judith, she was a flirt, but she wasn't one to let things go too far believe it or not.

Yuri was asleep against a tree with his arms lazily resting in his lap, in a very unusual way for him, his head tilted very lightly and looking down, his bangs covering his face slightly, mouth slightly ajar, and one eye visible, shut tight….wait…

Yuri….asleep….alone with Rita, and he was in such a cute position too…wait…did she really just think that? She bashed the heavy book she had against her head, trying to snap herself out of it, but she just couldn't, she kept looking and looking, stealing glances up from her reading, not even noticing when she ran out of pages and was looking at the blank pages at the end of the book.

'Stupid stupid stupid, stop it, stop pestering me by looking like that, why do you have to try to tempt me? I know your just sitting there, waiting for me to get up and come over, to sit next to you and try to catch me in the act, you want to make fun of me for earlier this morning, just like the rest of them.'

She walked off in a huff with her book, finding a clear place to relax and try to re-read what she missed, but her mind wandered elsewhere, words like idiot, stupid, jerk, and bastard kept creeping across her mind, all pinned at that one man, sound asleep unaware of what went through the young girls mind.

**End of chapter 1 everybody, i have 2 and 3 finished at the time of uploading this one, so, rate, comment, whatever, moving on!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yeup, mostly words...out of mouths...very boring, i dunno if i hit the characters voices and personalities well in this story, at all.**

The group had finally managed to get some rooms in a inn, having stopped by Capua Torim to restock, sleeping in the boat attached to Ba'ul was better than on the ground, but the constant rocking sometimes made it hard to rest, as if the Fiertia was still in the water.

The group had managed to get 3 rooms with two small beds each; the inn was under renovation, to become much bigger, as tourism seemed to increase in the past few months. That caused a problem for the group, seeing as they usually split the rooms by boys and girls, and Ba'ul was already gone, ran off to consume some aer that he felt might have been a danger, so sleeping in the Fiertia was not an option.

"Well this is quite the conundrum, how do you think we should split the rooms?" The innocent princess asked with a perplexed look on her face.

"I-"

"NO!" the group said in unison before Raven could even say his second word, all but Judith who just chuckled at the outburst. Looking defeated, the old man decided to sulk around, looking down at his feet with a childish look on his face, like he was told he couldn't have any candy till he finished his dinner.

"Well its either Karol or Yuri, and Estelle is out of the question, I doubt she would even get a wink of sleep given that she probably isn't use to the situation." Judith said this with barely any emotion besides her usual playful grin.

"W-well…I GUESS your right Judith…." Estelle seemed a bit sad at this statement, stealing a sideways glance at Yuri, who had been sitting against a wall with his dog friend resting at his feet. Rita seemed to be the only one to notice it, but she barely even gave it a thought before saying what was on her mind.

"Well I'm not going to sleep with the kid next to me, not unless you all want me to burn down this entire building. And Yuri and Judith aren't going to sleep alone with each other anytime soon; I don't trust EITHER one of them." Karol gave a small sigh of relief at that statement, knowing the temper on the little mage, her threats weren't empty.

"Well then that leaves either me and Judith or Yuri and Rita. What do you guys think?"

Her heart stopped at this statement, she didn't realize where the groupings were heading till now; she then gave a nervous look at the ebony clad swordsman who was playing with his dog companion. Why was it that ever since that day she couldn't talk to him without getting mad? Couldn't look at him without going red in the face? Why is it that she felt a deep loathing in her stomach when she thought of him? She looked away and tried to gain her composure, and just in time too.

"Well I have no problem sleeping with Karol, how about you two? Do you guys have a problem sleeping in the same room?" The woman had done it again, she seemed so innocent, but she made such a sly grin as she talked.

"Nah, I don't have any problems, Repede is staying with me anyway, even if I did want to do anything, I doubt he would let me." He made this statement with a joking expression and a soft wavy tone in his voice. It made her heart sink.

"Well I sure do, I'm not going to crawl into bed and sleep in the same room as anybody as shady as you, so it's out of the question, now good night!" The mage stormed off into the room that she and Estelle were going to spend the night, angry, at the group as a whole, but especially at him, why, she didn't know.

It was late in the night when she finally left her room, everybody else had fell asleep, she left the building to get some fresh air, she ended taking a midnight stroll around the harbor, nothing in particular on her mind, as she wandered she noticed Judith sitting on one of the docks, not one for conversation, she found it weird when her legs carried her to sit next to the young Krytian.

"Oh, hello Rita, what can I help you with?" Her playful smile was visible under the moonlit sky.

"Dunno, I don't even know why I came over here." She looked off to the side, putting on an annoyed face.

"Oh, well don't tell me you still hate little old me, I thought we were going to let bygones be bygones." She playfully wrapped her arms around the younger girl, giving her a small hug, clearly annoying the mage.

"Stop it, or I WILL burn all your hair off, see how you like it." Her threat seemed empty this time, which bothered Rita.

"Oh? Well why don't you tell big sis Judith what's on your mind." She said this with an obviously concerned voice, very unusual for her.

"Nothing that you need to worry about."

"Please, just tell me what's wrong, I promise it will stay between girls." With this she held on tighter, pressing her body into Rita's, much to the pyro's discomfort.

"I'm not going to tell you, no matter how much you press on the matter, my heart is my own." What Judith said next made her own heart sink more than it already did.

"Oh, so somebody has a crush on someone! Good for you Rita! Let me guess, a certain Yuri Lowell?" She dropped her concerned look as she said this, instead picking up her sly smile.

"W-W-WHA…?! NO! THAT IS TOTALLY NOT THE CASE!" She broke free of the older woman's grasp, standing up and looking to the ocean, face as red as hot magma.

"Oh? Alright then, consider the topic dropped." And with that the older girl walked off, still smirking to herself.

'Oh no, why did this have to happen? For the love of god, why why why why why why?!'

Her mind rushed around, as she tried to think straight.

'There is no way I'm in love with him, he's 21, I'm 15, it just is not right, he is an idiotic, annoying, loudmouth thug, he is a bastard that doesn't care what anybody thinks, he just does whatever he feels is right. He follows his own justice, and has gotten us in loads of trouble before.'

Yeah, all of that makes sense to her; there was no way she could like any of that. His carefree lazy ways, his own dedication to getting stronger, wanting to help others even if it puts himself in danger, his unnatural will to live, his never say die attitude with a touch of idiotic virtues….She loved it…She loved it all…She didn't like any of it, she loved all of it…

**This one was a tough one to write, mostly because i am a more descriptive writer, not a chatty Cathie type of writer. But its a story...it kinda needs a story...yes, i gave you all the perfect inception joke, you have my permission to make one.**

**And now chapter 3, rate, comment, get a burger, do whatever.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Short, very short.**

They had set out from the harbor a few days after that night, she had avoided him the whole time, the shock of her realization putting her into a quiet shy state, very unlike her, she was unable to even scold the old man, which shocked everybody, they were all concerned for her in their own way, except for Judith, who knew the reason behind her strange acting.

The group had set up camp, letting Rita to her own devises, not wanting to upset the already odd acting mage. She seemed to just wander around, not really going anywhere, not really doing anything, lost in the fog of her own mind.

Everybody tried to see if they could cheer her up, but one after another they failed, the young girl just shrugging off their comments and attempts to cheer up their eccentric friend. Even Judith seemed worried at this point.

It was a long day, and the night finally settled, but she couldn't sleep, she awoke and wandered off in no particular direction, trying to find a nice quiet place to rest, try to get her mind together.

She found a small clearing, rocks in the center surrounded by flowers and grass, she had walked close to the center before noticing the phantom sitting on top of the tallest rock, his eyes looking up, gazing at the stars, his long black hair flowing in the wind, melting with his dark attire to create a type of camouflage, melting in and out of sight in the moonless night, of all people, why did it have to be him? The man of her affection…

Before she could even think, her legs decided to carry her closer to his side, she tried to stop herself, but she couldn't control her body. Fear crept over her, unable to control her body, as she climbed the rocks she noticed that he had closed his eyes, lost in thought. Damn it, why did he have to do that? He made himself look much more mystic, almost like a dream.

She had crawled up to the rock he was sitting on, sitting almost directly next to him, still dazed, staring at him as he seemed to drift in and out of consciousness; it was a while before he noticed her sitting right next to him.

He seemed a little shocked, staring at her for a few seconds before breaking the silence.

"Hey, you ok? You've been out of it for a while, is there anything you want to say?"

Such an idiot, she couldn't help herself, she rested her head on his shoulder, scaring him, she decided to mutter something, hoping he didn't hear,

"…just…tired…of everything…"

He had a shocked look on his face, then it went soft,

"Hey hey hey, take it easy, ok? No need to get depressed, if you want to take it easy, go ahead, alright?"

She just nodded her head, sinking deeper into him.

He sat there, smiling at the girl resting on him, glad she finally got her mind straightened out, she had everyone worried, he thought she finally was calm, but he had no idea what was going through the girls head.

**Over all, this one was easy to write, i had a lot more i was going to add, conversations between the two, arms wrapping around bodies, even a small kiss, but I'm not going to say who kissed who ^.^ might have been Rita kissing Yuri, or Yuri kissing Rita, or maybe jealous Estelle stole a kiss that was meant for Rita? THE WORLD WILL NEVER KNOW XD**

**Nah, you guys will, i liked the way the chapter just ended, i couldn't think of a way to continue it, the final line just felt done to me, granted, short, but still done for now. I'm NOT going to add all that crap in next chapter tho, its going to be tacked at the end in a bonus chapter, it would just mess with the whole feel i have for this chapter XD dont worry, mushy yurita stuff to come...soon...maybe...i've been known to not finish stories ^.^"**


	4. Chapter 4

**Another talking chapter, lovely XD i dont do well with these types of chapters IMO but i feel like this one turned out better than the last. I threw this together in 10-20 minutes i think? i dunno, its really just a little thing im doing to try to cheer myself up, its not meant to be a big project, so meh.**

She had fallen asleep shortly after, he carried her back to camp, placing her down on her mat, no one else awake to notice, the night sky and stars keeping their secret. He watched her for a few minutes, making sure she was sound asleep. After he was content, believing her unusual streak was over, he went over to his mat, and fell asleep, exhausted over worrying for his friend.

The following morning was slow; one after another they all got up, sluggish and weary, breakfast was served, eaten, and forgotten long before anybody was wide awake. The last two up were the passionate mage and the calm swordsman. Rita was still in a weird mood, unsure if she should follow through with what her heart was telling her to do.

She was barely awake when he lifted her up, cradling her like a precious child, laying her down softly on her bed mat, remembering every moment, and making her heart beat faster and faster as she did.

He couldn't help it, he was sure that she had at least calmed down a bit last night, but it seemed like she was worse off than before, He caught her while she was off on her own, away from the camp, hidden behind some trees staring off,

"Hey, Rita, don't you think this whole depression has gone on long enough? If you have anything to say, anything you want to get off your chest, I'm here; you don't have to be alone." He sat down next to her, a concerned look on his face.

All she did was look away, mumbling to herself, he thought he heard some words, but he couldn't make them out. He turned her face towards his, he stared as the young girl's eyes went wide, her face going red, he swore it felt like she was trying to lean closer to him, just barely stopping herself, he understood.

"Oh? Is that so? Well why didn't you say so from the beginning Rita? Instead you had to go and hurt yourself like this, that's not a smart thing to do, given that you're supposed to be a genius." He then wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, letting her feel what her heart desired.

"….it's not that easy….im the worse when it comes to people…." She started crying, he just held her.

"I'm not Estelle, I'm not sweet, I'm not nice, I'm not loving, I'm blunt, angry, sour, I grew up alone, I have no social skills. What was I suppose to do?" She wrapped her arms around him, trying to bury her face in deeper, as if to get away.

"….I don't know, I'm not you, I don't know what's going through your heart, I don't know how you feel. I don't even understand myself half the time; I don't think anybody truly understands themselves, that's what makes us human. But I do know one thing Rita, when it comes down to it, when I do know how I feel, I follow my heart, don't be afraid to follow yours." He seemed to whisper this in a voice unlike his own, she felt him press softly onto her back with his hand, rubbing up and down, trying to comfort her.

"But still, I didn't even realize it, Judith had to tell me, I was, and still am, confused, and on top of that, I know you wouldn't choose me, Estelle obviously has a crush on you, she is much sweeter than me, she would make you happy, she would take care of you, I wouldn't be able to."

It seemed like her realization talk hit her the most, she broke down, sobbing, no end in sight, all Yuri could do was just wait, he knew whatever he tried to say or do right now wouldn't matter, once someone was lost in their emotions they don't listen to the outside world. She cried for what seemed like hours, once she calmed down a bit, he leaned in, speaking softly into her ear,

"Everyone has their own idea of an ideal partner Rita, Estelle is a great friend, but I just can't see us being that close, our personalities clash too much. I'm a slower, calmer person, only to explode when I need to, she's hyper, more energetic, but she's TOO hyper, she always seems to be doing something, never taking it easy, never really relaxing. You on the other hand, your energetic, yeah, you're chaotic, you do a lot of things, going from one place to the next, but it's different than her, you're a fire, while she is more like a waterfall, you burn brightly, but go out, just to be lit again, you slow down, and it has a charm to it.

"She just never ends though, pushing and pushing and pushing some more, while she's a great person, I feel like she would wear me out before long. I always preferred her as a friend over you, and yeah, we had a rough time, what with the whole blastia core deal, but once I got use to being around you, I always loved you over her." And with that, he sent her into shock, her eyes going wide, staring at him, mouth open, unable to understand what he had just said, all he did was lean in, and stole her first kiss. She closed her eyes, her mind, once a blur, slowed down to savor this moment, hoping it never ended.

**Welp, first kiss, a confession, mental breakdown, and a realization after 4 chapters, yay...now i just need 2 chapters of them trying to hide their affection for each other from everybody, a third person getting hurt, and the whole group finding out about it all, and i will have most things that go into a romantic fanfic. Probably not going to do the third person getting hurt in the main story, just leaves a bad taste in my mouth, maybe for the bonus 'what if' chapter(s?) i dunno, i just write it as i feel it**


	5. Chapter 5

**Welp, chapter 5 everybody, were getting into the good stuff now, we get a look in the life of the young couple after they get use to, ya know,** **being together, kinda the whole idea of a romantic fanfic, but whatever. **

**Really had fun writing this, i felt like the two were as close to their in-game characters yet, mostly because A) Yuri actually gets a good amount of...word..time? And B) Rita is suppose to be acting weird up till now in the story anyway, now we get to see normal Rita, well...besides the romantic little tsundere Rita i got going, and she's more warm to Yuri than in the game XD**

Several days have gone by since they admitted their feelings for each other, slowly, Rita got out of her weird state of mind; it wasn't long before the group was back into their regular swing of things. The two would act like normal around each other, but they had a more playful nature than usual, Yuri teased her more, and Rita let him get away with tease her slightly more.

No one had given it any thought, the new couple keeping their love a secret. They would wander off, talking about nothing in particular, they would find a nice quiet place to sit down and chat, the young mage would ramble on, talking about things the swordsman normally wouldn't care about.

He was along for the ride for two reasons, the reward, leaning in close, stealing a kiss from her every now and again. And because ever since Rita had started talking to him more and more, she seems happier, even if he didn't understand what she was going on most of the time, he was just glad he could give the young girl the attention she was devoid of growing up.

Rita knew he didn't understand, and would probably never get it; but she loved the way he looked at her; lazy eyed, a small smile across his lips, paying her attention, belonging only to her. She loved how he would reach around her, hold her close, and lay his lips on her, only to pull back and let her continue without missing a beat.

The only person who knew about the relationship, wasn't even a human, Repede had figured out early on, following them to one of their chats, he ended up helping the young lovers by being their guard dog of sorts. He would lay at the foot of the young couple as they sat and listen for if anybody that came close, warning the two that their privacy was about to be broken.

One day they had wandered off, it had been a while, since they felt like doing it too much would have attracted the attention of the group. But instead of the usual talking that happened as they found a nice quiet spot, Rita instead just laid her head against his chest, laying her hands next to her head.

She seemed content, so the young man didn't want to move her; instead, he wrapped his arms around her. She instinctively sighed to this, happy about the time they could spend together. Not one for unnecessary silence, Yuri decided to strike up a conversation,

"So, the genius mage, one of, if not possibly the smartest person on the planet, falls for a simple minded thug. I wonder how your colleagues at Aspio would react to this. You already have a bad enough rep as it is." He chuckled as he teased the young girl, she just shrugged it off.

"Let them think what they do, they may be able to create formulas and research things that normal people wouldn't have a grasp on, but you have your own knowledge, you have common sense, your own logic, you seem to defy normal physics." She said this with a kind of matter-of-fact smile on her face, her eyes closed.

"So, you don't have any problems with me coming to live with you in your lair of knowledge? Well, more like lair of books scattered all over the place. I don't even know how many, if any of them are legible, given how much clutter goes on in that small space, I wouldn't imagine much."

Normally he would have given a statement like that a simple laugh, or a smirk to mean he was joking, but he seemed like he was serious. It gave her a small shock, he was actually thinking of moving in with her, to live with her, to spend their average day to day lives together.

"Well…if you want, I can do some major cleaning, if you need the space or something…" She didn't want to ruin this moment, given the situation; she wanted him to like the idea, not think of it as a hassle. She was use to the small amount of space she had, using only what was necessary; she didn't want him to be uncomfortable though.

"Nah, its fine, I can deal with the clutter, what free space you have, I probably have less at my room at the inn back home. Of course you're going to have to get use to the idea of me leaving every now and again to see the folks over there, I don't want to go abandoning them anytime soon, ya know?"

Her heart skipped a beat, then another, then another, the way he talked, the way his face looked as he said it; it felt like he had made up his mind, she just looked up at him, a dopey look of shock covering her face. Her mouth was slack jawed, wide eyed, a small blush creeping across her face. He looked at her, smiled, chuckled, and then gave her a kiss on the forehead, as if to try to read her mind.

She didn't know if he actually was trying to or not, but he sure did succeed, because right after, the words that escaped his lips almost made the usually strong willed mage faint.

"Yes, I'm moving in with you, but if you got a problem with it, that's fine, I can leave you be if you want." He then put on one of his usual smirks, eyes half closed, and then gave a small laugh, obviously content with his results.

"…Idiot…you said you were going to move in, so there is no backing down, the pooch can stay, I guess, but you're going to have to deal with getting him housebroken in Aspio, I doubt he can do it the same as compared to the capital." She had tried to down the serious tone in her voice with a slight joke, she feels as if she failed miserably.

He chuckled to himself slightly, before giving her an answer, "Well I'm not worried about that, what I'm worried about is getting a second bed in that place, or are we sharing yours? I would like that, gives me more time to hold you close, whisper into your ear, kiss you softly, do all the romantic things you're not use to and see your reactions and freak outs."

He had gone up and way beyond her small tease, all she could do was bury herself deep into his chest, try to hide the blush that was now a very deep color, and very obvious, she only had one thing to say to this, "Idiot….Bastard….."

She then whispered very softly, Yuri almost didn't catch it, but he was glad he did, and he held her tighter with a small smile on his face after he heard it.

It was 'I love you'

**Got to love the cute little Rita i managed to get going there at the end XD I plan to make them living together in Aspio a bonus chapter, so...yep...i know people want it, so might as well deliver XD Well goodbye till my next chapter comes out...which is probably going to be around 3:30 AM...like this one...tomorrow...maybe...NIGHT!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Welp, we got chapter 6 now XD I'm just burning through these really. I kinda need to slow down once i start running out of ideas...yeah, right XD Welp, still depressed, still trying to cheer myself up, so these are still going to be coming every day, or every other day, depending on if i feel like writing that day or not, even if i do end up getting out of this depression i still want to finish this story, its fun, which you kinda need while depressed, takes your mind of things. Im doing better, kinda, i think, i dunno, just feels that way.**

**A little more tame chapter here, not much lovey dovey crap in it, instead its a more general everyday crap, with a little cute moment that happens when these two are alone XD**

The group had split up, needing to get some supplies that can only be found in certain cities, Karol and Raven headed to Dahngrest, the two needing to stop by and deal with some business with the guilds, Estelle and Judith headed to Nordopolica, since it is the farthest city and Judith has Ba'ul, it was a given she would go, Estelle was wanting to go with Yuri, however, the young man insisted that she goes with Judith, as he wants to go to Aspio with Rita, who needed to pick some things up from her lab, stating that he has a bad feeling, and wants to go with the little mage to make sure she isn't in harm's way.

Defeated, the young noble waved to her two close friends as she and Judith dropped them off near Aspio. "….They have been close recently, that's good, they really need to get along better!"

She looked at Judith as she said this, a wide smile across her lips, the young Krytian could only shake her head with a weak smile, the poor young girl was going to get her heart crushed; she could tell how the three thought of each other. "Well let's just hope nothing bad comes from it."

At this statement Estelle just gave her a quizzical smile, wondering what she meant, how could anything bad come from people getting along? She just shrugged it off as one of the mysterious girls weird way of thinking.

Yuri and Rita had gotten their way into the city, Repede following right behind, no surprise the mages were avoiding the young girl, hoping to not be stuck talking to her. The two just shrugged it off and went along till they were in the mages lab, shutting the door behind him, Yuri then leaned against a wall, wondering out loud,

"What is it we came here for exactly? Couldn't you find or make whatever it is you need while we are out and about?"

Going this way and that around the room, the young girl working at quite a pace replied a little bit annoyed.

"Yuri, I can't really make and write a book out of thin air and get all the knowledge that I need from it, and to top it all off I need 3 different books. So no, I couldn't make what I need while we are out in nature."

He just shrugged to this, and decided to climb up to the young girls bed, he laid down, not surprised that it was quite unused, seeing as how the first time that he came here she was asleep on the floor. Below he could hear the noise of paper being franticly shuffled, books slamming on the ground, and mumbling, he could hear small words, like nope, not this one, and it's not here.

So deciding to let her continue in peace, he picked up a quite large book he saw lay next to him, he tried to read it, only to see that the writing was almost completely illegible. Not paying attention, he tossed it to the side due to him being unable to read the book, he heard a loud dull 'THUNK' then nothing.

"YURI LOWELL!" Uh-oh….

Rita had climbed up to where he was; a mad look on her face, book in hand, she had her teeth showing, like an animal getting ready to bite, her free hand balled up in a fist, with a small bump on the back of her head.

"WAIT, I—" She threw the book and hit him square in-between the eyes. He was knocked out cold.

He awoke about 4 hours later, tucked into her bed; a cold cloth across his head where he was hit. He looked around, there were three books right by him on a small table, one of which was the book he accidentally hit Rita with. Speaking of the little mage, she was still down below, moving things around this way and that. He grunted as he got out of bed, Repede lying on the floor below.

"Oh, your awake? There's food on the table, I already ate."

Surprised at how calm she was, he decided to go down and eat, after he had sat down, she sat across from him, a cup of milk in her hands. He asked,

"How are you doing? The swelling seemed to go down a bit."

"I'm fine, just be careful in the future, alright? I know you didn't mean to do it, sorry for getting mad and throwing the book in your face." She didn't seem that upset, talking with a straight face, but he could tell that there was a hint of concern in her voice.

"Sorry, I just get bored with books, not really much I can do with the knowledge, I tend to learn from self-experience, ya know? Anywho, I saw the stack of books on the table, I take it those are what we needed?"

"Yeah, funny how the book you threw at me was one of them, next time just tell me." She had a smirk on her face as she took a small drink out of her cup.

"Ha Ha, very funny, you know I don't know what it is you needed, hell, I couldn't even read the damn thing."

She just laughed at this, got up, and went to read one of the books they came to find. He decided to get some rest while she did that, not wanting to interrupt her, but he couldn't help it, he walked over to where she sat down, and sat down next to her, she gave him a look wondering what he was doing, but before she could ask, he laid his head down on her lap, getting cozy and ready to sleep.

He looked up at her, only to see a red face trying to burry itself into a book, he chuckled slightly, and started to drift off. As he did, he said something, just quiet enough for Rita to hear, and soft enough to make her heart go flutter

"I love you Rita…"

**And there we go, funny how i said i would be doing a living in Aspio chapter as a bonus what-if chapter once i feel like this story is finished, then i do a chapter in Aspio...total coincidence XD i dont plan anything out, i just write what i think, it just comes out as is, so it actually is a total coincidence, i wasnt even thinking of Aspio, just thinking of a place that i can send them that makes sense that really only they would go to if the group would split up. But yeah, the young couple living in Aspio thing is still going to happen, this isnt a attempt to half ass it and not do it XD its just cannon...in my story anyway, if your asking why this is cannon and them living in Aspio isn't, even though it makes sense that they would after all of this is said and done, play the game all the way, oh, P.S. while working on this chapter i got bored and made about half of a bonus chapter, probably going to finish it before the next chapter, you guys dont get to see it till after the stories over though XD (- is evil)**


	7. Chapter 7

**WOOT! CONTINUATION OF THE ASPIO CHAPTER! Yeah yeah, i know i said i would save a what-if of them living in aspio for a bonus chapter, still am too, but i just had to do this. We really get to see into the way they really would act and feel if they could live their lives not having to hide their love XD im so evil, i promise that your guys love will be shown to the group soon and you two can act romantic around the other group mates soon enough, probably in 2 chapters...if i dont get sidetracked along the way...**

The two had stayed in Aspio for a day now, waiting for the rest of their group to come to pick them up, Rita had already read the books they came to find, and Yuri had found a new pastime, laying in her lap and sometimes taking a nap there as she read, at first her reactions were extreme, she would freak out, go red in the face, or just straight up go into a shaking fit.

After a while she got use to it, still going red a bit of course, but her shaking fits died down fast, it was still difficult to concentrate with him just lying there, half the time she didn't even know if he was conscious or not. It took her about an hour to read what she could in roughly ten minutes before she really got use to the idea of having him so close.

Around the end of the first day they stayed in Aspio, she had gotten very comfortable with the idea, incredibly fast if she was to ask herself. She had even gotten into the habit of petting his head while she read, something he seemed to quite enjoy.

She felt warm whenever she got a book to read, knowing he would come over straight away once he noticed her, she felt content with the silence that followed; not a single word needed to be said between the two, yet it made her just as happy as when they talk to each other about nothing important.

She felt a certain pride when the two would talk, sitting at her table, laughing and chatting, feeling like there was nothing in the world that was more important than the two of them spending time. She felt strange at how easily they could talk to each other, they were two different personalities, from two different generations, with two very different interests.

She felt happy, knowing that the mystery as to why they get along so well; can just stay a mystery, knowing that the answer would be more mysterious then the question. He felt something different, he felt warmth in everything from her, he felt happy whenever she was near; he felt love whenever she talked. She felt love whenever he would lean in and kiss her softly; hold her tight, whisper into her ear. The way they felt the love from the other person was as different as they were, but they complemented each other so well it just worked.

Slowly the two had begun realizing just how close they felt in this environment, they kept the door locked with a bolt from the inside, so when the rest of the group came knocking, they literally had to knock. They could be together and let their love show without interruption.

Plus there was Repede, who had stayed beside the couple since close to the beginning; he was always good at telling when someone was near. Rita had even gotten use to the dog, petting him and scratching his belly, even giving him some snacks every now and again.

Finally, the whole situation put Rita on nerve, so she had to ask, just how did he feel about all of this? So she finally asked,

"Hey, Yuri?" She had caught him while he was eating a small sandwich, so it took him a second to finish eating before he could answer,

"Whats up? You seemed to have something on your mind for a while?" He let her sit next to him; she twiddled her thumbs a bit before continuing.

"Well, I was just wondering, remember how you said you would come to live with me? I was wondering, well, is any of this how you imagined it? Is it better? Worse?"

She gave him a innocent stare, like a child asking their parent if they could spend more time with their friends, innocent, cute, big eyed, and a small smile of hope across their lips.

He chuckled a bit, knowing how odd and off she must feel right now, so he took a small bite before continuing, just enough to leave her curiosity alone to grow a bit more.

"Well, I really wouldn't say this is at all what I imagined it to be, in all truth it's a bit odd compared to what I had in mind really."

She felt torn; she knew she shouldn't since he didn't say if he thought it was better or not, but he knew how to hold her just right, to put her on edge, but not to where she gets mad, she knew that this was a way for him to tease, but she really didn't like it, or, at least that's what she told herself, she might like it, a little bit, maybe.

"Well the foods good, and I didn't cook it, so that's something I wasn't expecting." He gave her a small grin and a chuckle; she just got flustered, giving him a look telling him he was heading towards a hard smack.

"Alright, alright, I'm kidding, but yeah, I really expected something just a bit more busy, given the fact this IS a lab and all, so the homey feel is something I wasn't expecting all the time, around when we eat and get up and after we finish work, yeah, I expected it then, and when I do move in, I expect it to still have a busy vibe. After all, we aren't settling in and getting cozy with the family life just yet. And Rita? The whole busy life style as your boyfriend slash lab assistant does have its own charm compared to this."

She couldn't help it, she flung herself at him, squealing and laughing, eyes shut tight, a giant open mouth grin on her face; he had done it again, he caused her to do something she would have never done before, and probably never with another person. He just did this to her personality, he goes and tipped her off her feet, sent her spinning, and landing her somewhere new, somewhere she never as been before, doing things she never would normally do; and she loved it.

And she let him know with a big kiss, just for him.

**AAAAAANNNNNNDDDDD BEHIND THE SCENES! So...i wasnt expecting to write this so soon, probably wont be able to write another till the 9th, cousin and his girlfriend and kid are coming to stay with us till the 9th, but i cant sleep tonight...time for me to explain..i cant sleep..thats the reason why this chapter was made XD...let me explain...So today i woke up screaming...trying to open my door...i dont remember getting out of bed XD i get into this like half sleep half sleepwalk/awake mood rarely, im awake, but im still dreaming, so the dream and reality blends together...its not as fun as it sounds...i had this nightmare something was trying to eat me, so i start screaming bloody murder, i woke up fully soon after. I know why i had the dream though, i stayed up till 4 watching scary crap on youtube...and listening to eerie music box music...yeah...BUT! it gave me an idea for a bonus chapter/stand alone story involving creepy music box, giggles, yuri acting weird, haunted house, and a swing that turns into a grave when the group looks away and looks back...after the swing starts swinging itself...yeah...have fun when i post that story XD**


	8. Chapter 8

**YES! I AM ALIVE! been a long while since my last upload ^.^" SORRY! Life and everything, long story short, money problems caused us to turn off our internet till we get em fixed...which is...i dunno when. **

**Sooooooooo...yeah...might be a LONG while till my next upload, im doing this from the library...so...yeah...this story isnt dead, just stuck in a barrel till i can let it back into the ocean, anywho, two chapters for ya! i had more, but a hard drive failure caused me to lose a lot of stuff, this included, i had a backup with these two chapters though, so i was able to save em, but i had like 3 more written, isnt life great?**

It had been two months since they stayed in Aspio, so much happened, and the little mage feels so empty from it all. The betrayal, Estelles kidnapping, the whole deal with the Commandant's lust for power, the final showdown on….Yuri's death…..

Yuri…She had hoped that he wasn't gone, that he had survived, that his blind luck had saved him, his unnatural law that he follows would have stopped it…they had searched for a whole month since then, looking for him…she had searched for a whole month….

After two weeks the others just quit, they all said it was too late. Even Estelle gave up, she ended up running to the arms of Flynn and crying her eyes out. She was lucky, she had someone who still cared so much for her…Rita didn't really have anybody that was that close besides Yuri, there was Estelle, but she was going through her own breakdown.

There was no way he could survive unless he had been washed ashore or picked up by a boat they said. She refused to quit, she dragged Judith around the world using Ba'ul to look for him, searching coast and town and sea alike.

After finally seeing that she couldn't find him, she went home to Aspio, not talking to anyone, she locked her door, and her heart…She would lay in bed, get up to do nothing, Repede tried coming with her, but she just left the dog with Judith, she knew he was wanting to cheer her up, but she couldn't, he reminded her too much of him.

One day she got up, went outside and looked into the sky, it was above, ruining the view of the stars that she had come to watch with him on a day to day basis…It hurt her…It hurt that she couldn't sit next to him and watch them again, it hurt knowing that she would only be able to see them as a pain, instead of a hope like she use to.

It hurt that the disgusting blob was ruining the view she had gotten so use to, that she learned to love because of him, and she didn't know what to do…

Then an idea hit her, and she ran inside, shutting her door again, and started working. She didn't know what it was she was doing exactly, but she soon found her own rhythm again, pushing the pain of her memories to the back of her mind.

She went like this for a few days, then as she was finishing up she thought she heard something, but was too absorbed in her work to think about it, and then it came again, and she turned around; he was there….

She started to smile, she couldn't express how she felt, but then it turned into a scowl,

"Rita? What's wrong?" He was confused, she seemed happy just a few seconds ago, he knew she was either going to be very happy, or very angry when he came back, but he didn't expect a mix of emotions like this.

"Yuri….where have you been for the last month?" The way she said this sent daggers into his heart, he knew what was coming.

"At my place, getting better after getting stabbed, but I was—" She cut him short.

"AND WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ANYONE OR LET US KNOW WHERE YOU WERE!?" She grabbed a huge book and threw it at him, but not before igniting it so it was a solid fireball, it stung, hurt and burnt all at the same time.

"GAHHH! WATCH IT WILL YA?! Hot hot hot!" He ran over to the table and grabbed a pitcher of water to douse his arm that had been lit. After he turned to look at her, she was still very mad, a giant scowl on her face, arms crossed, tapping her foot.

"Hey, it wasn't like I was knocked unconscious and was brought to my room by Duke or anything. I just now regained consciousness today; can you really blame me for that?" She seemed to calm down a bit, but she was still very mad.

"Hey, I didn't have a choice in the matter; I know you were probably worried sick, ok? I came here thinking of only you, wanting to be with you." He took a step closer to her, arms reaching out to give her a hug, but she just put up her hand.

"Do you know how long it's been? Over a MONTH Yuri, a MONTH! Do you know what kind of heartache I went through in that month? How much pain I went through looking for you? Do you know how much it hurt after everyone gave up after two weeks and I was the only one searching…"

She had started crying, eyes closed shut, her hands balled up into fists rubbing away the tears. He took a step towards her, then another, then he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight, she just continued to cry, still trying to wipe away the tears. They stayed like that for a while, and then he let go, stepped back, and took her hands away from her eyes.

She stared at him, a bit confused, eyes red from crying, she wore a sad expression, tears still ran down her cheeks. He took his hand and brushed away the tears, she just stared at him while he did this, wearing a strange face, one she didn't use often, if at all; wide eyed, mouth slightly open, a little kids confused face.

Once he dried away most of the tears, he leaned in and gave her a soft kiss, he wrapped one arm around her waist, while the other rested its hand on the back of her head, holding her close. He closed his eyes, while she kept hers open, wide eyed, staring at the man in front of her in a confused daze.

When he finally pulled back, she was still a bit dazed, she didn't know of this was a dream or not, but she didn't want it to end, she leaned against him, letting him wrap his arms around her, she just seemed to ball up, tucking her arms in-between the two of them.

"Welcome home Yuri…"

"It's good to be home Rita…"

"Don't ever leave me again, you hear?"

"Yeah…I don't plan on it…I don't want to cause you any more grief…I don't want to hurt you ever again."

"I'm just worried, I don't know if I'm dreaming or not. If I am, then I'm going to hate waking up."

To this, he pulled himself away from her; she gave him a worried look, wondering why he would ruin the moment like that. He gave her a small grin, then pinched her cheek, hard.

"Owowowowowoow! What was that for idiot?!" She broke free and jumped back, angry and rubbing her cheek, he just kept on smirking.

"Well it seems to me that if you felt it then it must be real, right? Also its good payback for the flaming book of death you tried to hit me with." He then went ahead and sat on the floor with his hands behind his head, content with what had just happened.

"You know you could have been, oh, I don't know, a bit more gentler!" Still angry the young girl kicked the swordsman in the leg before storming off over to get some ice for her red cheek.

"You know that things like this are going to happen in our lives, we aren't going to be all romance and flowers every day you know." She was angry, she knew that he was right, but there were other ways he could have gone around it.

But then again, he is Yuri, that's just how he is, she can't change it, and in all honesty she doubts she wants to, that would change everything she was in love with. It made no sense to her, the way he acted, the way he talked, it annoyed her, but she loved it at the same time.

"Yuri? Why do you love me?"

She asked this because she didn't know; she wanted to know what he saw in her. He gave her a look like she was crazy, then he closed his eyes, sighed, and seemed to drift off.

"Your fiery, passionate, cute, you have a life of your own, you just LIVE your own way. You're not afraid to be yourself; you don't care what others say about you. You're a strong woman, you're a wonderful person, your just you, and that's what I love."

She didn't expect all this, she didn't know what to expect, but not this, he caused her to go into another shock, it seems to be one of his talents, he's always catching her off guard. She slowly walked over to him, slumped down next to him, her legs collapsing below her. She was facing him, looking down into her lap.

He had sat forward, a bit concerned at the girl in front of him, she looked like she was going to cry again, he reached one hand close to her face, but before he could hold it, she sprang forward, wrapping her arms around him, knocking them both to the floor.

He was a bit dazed, his head banged the floor a bit harder than he would like, but he looked down to see the girl, grasping at his shirt, burying her head into his chest. He felt her shake a bit, crying, but he heard words escape her lips, there were so many coming at once he couldn't catch any of them.

"Hey, slow down; calm down, what's got you in such a tiff Rita?" He laid his arms across her back, trying to calm her down.

"I love you, that's what. You're such an idiot sometimes. Can't you tell I'm happy? Can't you tell I loved every word you just said? I've never had someone care for me like this. I've never had someone love me like you have. I've never had someone close to me, I'm happy, because I've finally found someone who cares, I'm happy, because I've found you Yuri!"

She then looked at him, he saw she was still crying, but she was smiling, she was blushing, he could tell now that she really did love every word that he just said. It made him happy, knowing that his emotions could be felt. He held her close, and the two of them didn't move for hours, a few words were said here and there, but it was mostly silent.

They fell asleep there, holding each other close.

**...dunno about you guys, but i can see this happening XD, now the next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 everybody ^.^ over all, i dont like this chapter as much as some of the others, its fine IMO but i feel like i could have done better with everybody finding out about the yurita thing that was going on, but i also feel like with that i would have made estelle a sad/enraged/lonely/depressed/psychotic girl if i did, and lets be honest, as much as i want to write A good story with all that in it, it doesnt fit with the feeling i want with THIS story, i want it to be a happy feeling one, where the two get together and feel like they belong together, and over all, besides the impending doom that the commandant released in the game (cant really mess with that now can i?) i want it to feel like a happy story.**

**kinda a writers dilemma, i know i could do better, but i'm not good enough to make it better and still keep the same vibe within a short amount of time, but i want to keep it the same story, i know a ton of people who write short stories and stuff just for fun, and very few can actually make a story work for them the way they do in a short time. Yeah, if i took a day or two to sit down and write, i could make it work, but this is just a side project, and not a job, if i did that it would take the heart out of it and in the end, thats what i want to be read, what i write from the heart. so read on XD**

The group had gotten together again, Judith and Ba'ul had swung by and picked everyone up, they expected to find Rita in Aspio, but she wasn't there, the mages around don't socialize with the young girl, and as such didn't know where she headed off to. But a Krytian that was hanging around had noticed her walking out the gates with a young man.

He said he overheard something about Halure, so the group headed there after thanking the young Krytian. They wondered who it was she was with, but there weren't a lot of young guys who could come to mind, there was Flynn, who was at the capital, Karol, but the two don't get along, and he was with them anyway, Yuri, but….they knew that was impossible.

They figured that it actually wasn't Rita who the man had seen. But it was the only lead they had, so they went with it, hoping that if it really wasn't her that they would find her back in Aspio after. They started their search soon after landing, a few minutes went by, and then they decided to head up to the great tree, its leaves still in bloom.

What they saw shocked them to the core, Rita was there, and she was sitting next to Yuri…The fact that the young man had survived was beyond anybody's thoughts, so to see him so well was beyond comprehension.

Just as the group started running towards the two, they stopped dead in their tracks, if they weren't in shock before, they sure were now; they stood there mouth open, wide eyed, staring, as the young man leaned down and kissed the young mage, and they nearly fainted when she smiled and returned the favor.

Judith, was the only one who had any idea of what existed between the two, was still shocked by the sudden events and realization, but she quickly got over it, she started walking to the two, with the other three members slowly followed, but of course Raven had to be the first one to say anything.

"Oh, isn't that just precious, the two young love birds, sharing a moment, by age they are far apart, but by heart, they are closer than anybody, really hits ya right here, doesn't it?" At this he pats his chest over where his heart is.

The two were in shock by the sudden voice of the old man; Rita looked like she was going to die, while Yuri was just shocked by the interruption. Before he could say a simple hello, Rita was running her mouth, unable to think, trying to make the moment better, but just making it worse.

"W-W-w-what are you guys doing here?! Isn't this an invasion of privacy? Can you just let us be alone for a bit?!" Before she could think, it all came out, and then she had realized what it was she just said, feeling as if she had just lost an unbeatable battle she jumped behind Yuri and tried to hide behind the ebony cladded man. He just shook his head with a small smile before continuing for her,

"Well it was going to have to be found out one way or the other, wasn't it? Not like we could live in secrecy for the rest of our lives, though I wish it could have been fund out a bit more modest, instead of being snuck up upon like we were going to get mugged or something." He could feel her press into his back, trying to escape the world it seemed, Judith was the one who replied this time, speaking softly as ever,

"Well well well, glad to see you're still the same old Yuri who we all know and love, I was certain there for a few seconds that she had brainwashed you or something. But then again, I knew for a while she had a crush on you, so I figured she was going to brainwash you, but just enough to make you fall in love with her, you know, instead of changing who you are as a whole." She smiled like always, feeling the daggers that shot through the young man and into her from the young mage's eyes, having fun as always.

"So, when did little Rita and you get together Yuri? The two of you seem cute enough as it is, so I'm guessing it happened a little while ago?" Another tease from the young woman, she knew just when the two got together, she just wanted to milk the entertainment as much as she could.

"Nah, we've been like this for a while, just didn't know what the right time or place to tell anybody about it was. Figured at the end of the adventure when everything settled down would be the best time, but of course, I have no idea when that would be. Was hoping it would end with Alexei, but I guess we just aren't that lucky now are we?"

Estelle, who had stayed quiet the whole time spoke up this time, speaking this way and that, asking question after question, how did he survive, where was he till now, what happened in the first place. She seemed oddly un-phased by the sudden realization that two of her closest friends were together. Most everybody in the group expected her to be a bit heartbroken, figuring that she had a crush on the young man for a while.

"Eh, Estelle? Ol' Raven here usually doesn't ask this about young ladies emotions, but are you ok?"

She gave him the same quizzical smile she gave Judith when she made the statement about hoping no one got hurt, she simply just didn't get it.

"Yes Raven, I'm quite fine, can I ask why you're so concerned for me when we should be asking Yuri what happened and how he is still alive?"

Giving up the old man just shrugged while smiling, guessing the young girl had a heart of gold, or that she was really as innocent as she seemed.

Slowly as Yuri explained everything, Rita opened back up, helping to explain how he had fallen into the ocean, stating a rock had tripped him up when the structure shook, Yuri had told her the truth, but she knew he would want it to stay a secret; that's the kind of person he was. They went on to tell how Duke had saved him, about him awakening in his room only a few days before, and how he looked around the capital, hoping that he could find someone, and when he couldn't, he headed to Aspio, hoping the mage would be there so he could let her know he was ok.

After the group had caught up they decided it was late, they got a few rooms at the inn and stayed the night, Judith and Raven teased the young couple all the while, saying how they needed their own room and that the group should leave them be for a while.

Several hours after they went to bed Rita came out to get some fresh air, not quite ready for sleep after the long day, she saw Estelle sitting outside on the porch, catching flower petals in her hand. Deciding she needed to chat with her friend about how she felt with letting Yuri and Rita be a couple, she headed off to join her.

The young noble had noticed her a little bit before the young mage joined her, waving and smiling while still catching petals. As the young mage sat next to the young lady, she asked her a simple question,

"Estelle, are you ok with me and Yuri, you know, being together?"

The noble just smiled before closing her eyes, losing herself to thought, then she quickly answered,

"Yes, I'm quite fine, really. In all honesty if it was before the whole deal with Alexei, I would probably have been furious or jealous beyond belief, but now, I'm quite alright." The young mage was a bit shocked hearing her friend say this, so she asked what her friend meant,

"Well, with the last month, I, along with mostly everybody, yourself being the only real exception, came to terms with the idea that Yuri was dead. I slowly had to move on, it hurt, yes, but I'm glad it happened now, because there isn't any bad blood between the three of us, or to be precise, between me and the two of you. I slowly moved on, Flynn visited me every day to try to cheer me up, he slowly got closer and closer than he ever has before.

"In all truth, me and him, we kind of already went on a date, not officially of course, but you get the idea." She blushed at the words that came out of her mouth, staying silent for a small moment before continuing,

"I doubt he took it as a date though, more as a guard duty, but still, I liked it. So really, I'm fine with how things turned out, just so long as you two are happy, I'm happy, alright?"

She gave her young friend a wide smile as she said this, Rita knew she was being serious, and she gave a small chuckle of her own, glad that there were no problems between the two friends.

"Yeah, I'm sure Yuri will make me very happy."

The two girls then laughed a little and stared off watching the flowers go by, thinking of the men close to them.

**And done, now i just need to remake the next few chapters that were lost T.T i doubt i will rewrite em, everything i wrote was something i made because i felt like it, like i said above, i wrote it because i wanted to, not because i had to, so in the end, i am probably just going to write new material, in the end im still going to keep the same general idea of what i wanted, so your not going to lose out a love scene or anything special i had in the lost chapters, im just going to write em different, and hopefully, better XD so until the next time i can connect to the internet, see ya!**


	10. Chapter 10

**So im over at a friends today which means i can upload this chapter! God damn having internet is nice after not having it for 2 months, going to be annoying when i cant use it anymore, but blah, life sucks, what can ya do? I rewrote this chapter, the first of a handful, i like the way i wrote it this time more than the last, sucks i lost a good chunk of the story though, but whatever, enjoy!**

Generally the group had come to terms rather easily over the fact that the two love birds have now gotten together, the teasing that was done by Raven was generally dealt with, albeit heavy handedly, by Rita, Judith's teasing was dealt with by Yuri, a simple remark and a few quick friendly whips between the two was generally how it went. Over all it was silently agreed by everybody that day to day events were treated the same as before the truth of the two was found out, everybody would act the same as before, and the two wouldn't do anything romantic or mushy until the day was through, acting as they always had before, and they went away from the group to do this, firstly because of Raven, and secondly because they wanted their privacy.

When it came to the deal of staying at an inn, the two would stay near each other when in the main room, or would go outside together, but the rooms stayed like they always would, guys in one, girls in the other, their lives weren't heavily affected by the fact that the two were together, and it seemed like it was going to stay that way for a long while. Of course no one knew what had happened in Aspio, and since it was such a long time ago, no one really remembered it or questioned it, and as such, the promise Yuri made to one day come and live with Rita when everything had come to an end stayed between the two.

One day the group had decided that they needed some relaxation, everybody was stressed and had gotten to the end of their ropes, being as high strung as they were, they snapped at each other often over the littlest of things; even Judith and Yuri had lost their generally laid back and easy going attitudes. Figuring some time away from everything and each other was a nice way to relax, they all headed their separate ways for a bit, Estelle returned to the capital to check up on everybody back at her home, Flynn had agreed to help her do a quick vanishing trick should she need to if she couldn't leave of her own free will.

Raven and Karol had returned to Dahngrest , raven needed to do some guild related work, while Karol wanted to reunite with some old friends, see what he could learn, and wishfully run back in to the girl he likes. It also helped that the two were at arguably the most evenly tempered between the two out of the whole group.

Judith had decided to explore a small mountain range with Ba'ul, hoping to find some new adventure and excitement for the two of them, but because the two were every ones mode of transportation, they didn't have very long to explore, roughly 3 days was what everybody had decided on, as for Yuri and Rita, the two weren't that upset at each other like everybody else was with everybody else.

Yuri was looking for a nice relaxing town to stay in, and Rita had decided that she needed to take a break too, even from her research, stating a huge headache had been bothering her for a while, making concentrating rather hard, they both agreed that a town by the ocean sounded calming enough, so they decided to stay at Capua Noir and decided to take a pleasant boat ride over to Torim, hoping the sudden change of scenery, but with the same vibe, would help the two relax.

Soon after reaching the twin harbors, the two didn't know how much peace and quiet they were going to get, but it was evident that it was going to be quite a lot, most of the town of Noir harbor was gone; apparently the trading guild had just gotten a giant haul of supplies that needed to be transported so almost every ship was out of the harbor, and with mostly everybody with them. The guard had been increased to make sure looting wasn't a problem, luckily for them when they reached the inn asking about a room and a possible boa ride to Torim, they found out a few small ferry boats had stayed behind to make sure that if someone wanted to cross they had a way.

Leaving the supplies they had taken with them in their room, they decided to head out into the city, see what they could see, surely enough it was like walking through a quarantine zone, guards on every street, almost not another soul out of uniform wandering the place, an eerie emptiness filled the town, they headed over to the shop to buy a few gels to make them seem unsuspicious, as leaving the inn and returning within a few moments due to the weird atmosphere might make the two seem like they were planning on looting a house or two, and with Yuri's reputation, they didn't want to risk it.

Soon after returning to their room Rita went and flomped down on her bed face first, laying unmoving, legs dangling off the side, Yuri soon sat down next to her, patting her head softly, a knowing look on his face, Repede decided to curl up and rest in the corner and let the two have their own time. Yuri then spoke up, trying to get a conversation started between the young girl and his self,

"Hey, it's not like we knew it was going to be like this, and I talked to the inn keeper when we got back, Torim isn't suppose to be like this, even though that's the trade guilds HQ, they use the boats from there for regular trade routes; so tomorrow when we leave we can expect a more warmer atmosphere, alright?"

Rita just sighed at this, shaking her head softly as she did, then she started to grunt, then she leapt up from her bed and started to stomp around, pacing back and forth, her face in a usual scowl, then finally she looked at Yuri, who had a concerned face, shrugging, she figured she should tell him what's bothering her,

"I'm upset because of how this ended, we came here to relax and spend some time together, not just sit around and do nothing for an entire day, I wanted to go out and hold you tight as we explored the town, not sit in our room wasting precious time, we only have three days Yuri, and at this rate we are only going to have two, is it so much of a problem that I want to be a tiny bit romantic on our most recent vacation from everybody else?"

He smirked at this, closing his eyes and tilted his head away from her a tiny bit, she just huffed at this and crossed her arms, mad at how it seems like he's taking everything she had just said as if it was a joke. He then slowly stood up and started walking towards her, still mad, she just looked away and pouted, slowly walking backwards, away from him. He laughed as she did so, soon she couldn't walk back anymore, her legs bumped into his bed, still with a scowl on her face as he wrapped his arms around her.

Surprisingly she kept her bad mood on as he hugged her close, not letting him have even an inch when she usually would melt in his arms, he even kissed her cheek and she was still scowling. Finding this all to be a big game he chuckled softly and continued to kiss and hug her, trying to break her moody expression. But as much as he tried she wouldn't budge, her entire face had turned into a giant red light bulb, hot to the touch. He thought it was cute, as even though it made her seem a little bit angrier, he knew she was enjoying this.

"Hey, Rita? I got a little question for you, so are you going to drop the act long enough to listen?"

All he got was silence and a small huff from the young girl. Still smiling the young man decided to continue on anyway, loving every moment he had teasing the girl.

"Well then, your no fun, you know that? And here I am trying to help you feel all romantic just like you said you wanted to be. Those mixed signals you are making are really funny to watch though, you know? Well I will just ask my question anyway, alright?"

To this he just drew back a little bit so he could look her dead in the face, still red and sulking, the young girl looked back, wondering what it was he wanted to ask, but all she got was a soft smile, and eyes staring at her, half close, with long dark bangs covering them slightly. It stayed like that for a few more seconds, then finally she couldn't hold it in any longer, so she asked,

"What the hell is the question? Or are you just going to sit there and stare at me for the next 5 hours?!"

Yuri gave out a small laugh, triumphant against the young girls temper, he then leaned forward, she expected a kiss, but instead he hugged her tight again, and kept on leaning, forcing her to topple onto the bed with him on top, mind racing, her mouth open and eyes wide, she couldn't talk, but she soon didn't have to, she felt his breath as he whispered into her ear,

"You want to sleep with me tonight? Just the two of us, arms wrapped around each other, you resting against my chest and using me as a pillow? Sure, I've slept in your lap before, but we never really slept in the same bed before, as a loving couple, would that be enough romance for you today? Or are you still going to sulk, saying that today is just going to be a waste and that we only have two days of romance instead of three?"

She laid there frozen, mind empty, her heart beating so fast it felt like one long thump in her chest. She stared at the ceiling, unable to cope with what he just said, then she slowly took her arms out from between the two of them, and slowly wrapped them around his back. Slowly she closed her eyes and buried her head into the crook of his neck. Then silently, so silently that even as close to his ear as she was, Yuri could barely make out what she just said.

"So, we have gone from boyfriend and girlfriend to loving couple?"

He felt her fingers did into his back softly as she tried to press her body deeper into his own, he felt soft lips kiss his neck, and he felt her heart beat, knowing she enjoyed everything that is happening to her, then he heard a small whisper again, it said,

"Soon we will move on from loving couple to husband and wife, right?"

He smirked at this, and felt another kiss as he silently whispered back his answer,

"Right, as soon as we possibly can."

**So, a lovely little couples moment after a nice little one sided argument, you get to see a cute little Rita as she dons her tough girl act i plan on using a little bit in the future, i like the way i worked her out, you get to see she really does want to try to be stubborn like she use to, but you also get the sense that she knows shes going to fail, but she tries anyway, either for the cuteness factor, or just her pride, but over all i like it XD well heres hoping i get lucky in the future and can upload more soon!**


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